I Dream in Tangerine

I have really enjoyed getting up and running with my blog, however the more posts I do the more I realise how stupid the title is. When I was trying to open a blog I was getting really frustrated that all of the names I wanted had already been taken, so I ended up typing in something long winded and awkward. Which is fine when you are just messing around, but I found that when I got to a point where I wanted to tell friends and family I was too embarrassed. 

So I have started a new blog "I Dream in Tangerine" which is much more me. Most people that know me already know I have a slight obsession with the orange spectrum so this name fits. I am also attempting to make it a little prettier and a bit more me as well as making use of our super duper new camera.

Hope to see you there as I put "Best Intensions of a Serial Procrastinator" to bed. I will still be blogging about the same things just with better pictures and a less wordy title. Laters.

Knitting!

Finally managed to finish my cardigan that I started months ago, don't think I've touched it for about 6 months. I can't remember why I stopped, because I was so close to finishing. 

I just have to pick out some buttons, but it's done! I did mess up on the button holes, not horribly, they're just not in the places specified by the pattern, but you know, other than that I am well chuffed. Fits pretty good too, snug and warm mmmm. Boyfriend was so impressed he has demanded I knit him a jumper of his own. Not that easy to find boy patterns amongst my existing books though, found one so I'm just going to go with it.

Started these beaut's too, I think I'm on a roll. My first proper attempt knitting in the round with 4 needles, I usually try to avoid those patterns but it wasn't as hard as I thought, so next stop socks... after I knit the left one of course. I don't want to look like a jazzy, woollen, rave safe kid.

Have you rediscovered a passion for anything recently?

Running Roundup #2

Feeling a bit more positive about my runs this week, I didn't manage to improve on frequency but I did manage to increase my distance, which I'm really pleased about. It is so dark when I set off though, I make a point of not turning on my music until I'm at the main road, just in case.

So this week I managed my first 3.4 miles which is equal to about 5km, yay. This was my target for my morning runs, so now I know how far 5km is on my route I don't have to use my phone app anymore, I can just listen to my music uninterrupted.  

Wednesday 18th September 3.4 miles

Friday 20th September 3.4 miles

So my plan from now on is to run at least 3x 5km per week, and once I have my routine going I will hopefully start to add in a long run at the weekends. I don't really have the time in the week for a longer run, but if I can continue with my 5km, and improve on my time maybe I can add on a little distance in the future. So onward and upwards.

How do you feel about morning exercise?

Yoga Eureka!

There is nothing quite like a good stretch, and yoga for me is just that. I have to admit that my stretching routine after my run attempts is poor at best, it mainly consists of collapsing on the floor and checking instagram. So I really look forward to my yoga class.

I can feel myself getting stronger and find it easier to ease into deeper and deeper stretches. My only issue is that as I improve and get a bit more bendy, I feel like my body lets me down, in only that there is too much of it. I am not slim, I have been working on it for the last god knows how many years, but as of yet, slim I am not. But now I am finding that this is causing me issues in ways it never has before, and maybe this is the eureka moment I need to change.

It's strange I have my wedding in a year, and am desperate to tone up the bingo wings before then. But it still seems so far away so it feels like I have stacks of time, and I know that feeling will continue, until it's too late, because I've done it before. So now I am hoping that if getting slimmer means that my yoga will improve, I should be able to actually see it on a weekly basis, and those tiny, minute, improvements only noticeable by me will spur me on. That is the dream, but for me knowing what I have to do, and actually doing it are still poles apart. 

Watch this space....

How do you feel about yoga?

Running Roundup #1

Typical, the week when I have decided to start my weekly posts recording my running progress, is the week I seem to have to decided to regress. I haven't done this on purpose and in all honesty am really quite cross with myself. I did consider putting off starting the posts until next week, but ultimately this is supposed to be about my progress, and deep down I know this won't be the last time I have a week like this, I just wish it hadn't been this particular one. I just seem to get those few days every so often (a little too often) when it seems to be all to easy to make an excuse, and lose all motivation. Oh well at least I have an easy target to improve upon...

So I only went out twice this week, I was all set to go out on Thursday too, even got up early and put my running stuff on, looked out of the window, saw rain and my resolve deserted me. Usually I don't mind the rain but for some reason on Thursday rain stopped play. I was even more annoyed with myself when I looked out 10 mins later and it had stopped, by which time I had decided it was too late to set off. I did do some yoga instead though so all was not lost. The rest of the week was a write off though, motivated Chloe had left the building. So I spent the weekend knitting.

Monday 9th Sept 2.7 miles

Wednesday 11th Sept 2.9miles

As you can tell by my distances I am still very much at the start of my journey so hopefully there is tonnes of room for improvement, just need to do something about my commitment issues.

How do you stay motivated?

Say Cheese

Look what we got today. I know I said before that we weren't going to look at getting a fancy camera until after we had done our 365 photo project, but we are impatient. Anyway, it seems silly to try a tackle such a large project with the hope of developing our style and techniques with just a basic camera. That's what we are telling ourselves anyway. 

I'm really excited to start our project now, we have both been snapping away already, getting used to the camera and all it's shiny buttons. It will be interesting to see how our styles develop, and how different or similar they become. We have decided to just have a couple of vague rules, so it doesn't start to become a chore, as opposed to fun. 

1. We must take a photo everyday. 

2. Our chosen photo for that day must be something we would be happy to display.

I think they are pretty good rules to have, if we don't take a photo everyday it won't be much of a 365 photo challenge, and I don't want them to just be for the sake of it type photo's of just anything hence rule 2. Hand on heart I am not convinced we will complete it, but we are going to give it a blooming good bash. I'm going to do monthly post on the challenge to keep tabs on how we are getting on.

Have you got any tips for us?

Blueberry Pie!

Oh my, I made my first pie, and it was a complete success! I have never made a pie before so I thought it was about time. I love baking but wouldn't dream of doing it without a recipe, so the Hummingbird Bakery held my hand on this one.

I chose a blueberry pie because it looked fairly easy, and it helps that we love blueberries, I might try a lemon meringue one next time. I made the pastry, by hand not in the mixer as suggested, it was a lot more fun, and a lot less noisy. You have to use a tonne of blueberries so this is not a cheap pie to make by any stretch, but that is not the point, right? I even got fancy and made little pastry leaves to go on top, (that wasn't in the recipe).

It takes hours to make a pie! You have to let the pastry rest for an hour before rolling it out, then you have to let the pie rest for an hour once you have put it together but before cooking. Luckily I had time so it was quite enjoyable. When I did bake it I had to have my oven 20 degrees hotter than the recipe states, and cook it for about 20 minutes longer, because I have a shitty oven. I had learnt my lesson from the blueberry muffin fiasco. But look I made pie! And it was fecking awesome if I do say so myself. We both had seconds, although to be honest that doesn't mean much cause we probably would have had second if it wasn't very good, we are sweet fiends.....but it was good, so so good.

What's your favourite pie to make/eat?